🫧 mcu/nikke || ❝ is this the love that i've been searching for? ❞

[bubblesong]

[ Little Mermaid slips quietly down the stairs into the glass doors of the workshop. Golden colored eyes scan the workshop, realizing that the lights are off. That alone is unusual for the ungodly early hours of the morning when it comes to the Malibu mansion, but also because there is no music.

Or sounds.

She can account for every car being in it's place from where she stands.

Her hand raises to unlock the door and she slips inside. Since the room is already quiet, she decides to not make any jarring noises if possible. Both hands quietly ease the door shut and she practically tiptoes through the usually loud and bustling workshop. Her hair is braided in an attempt to keep it from dragging on the floor, but yet it still manages to touch it with the ends regardless. ]

Uhmm... ooo.

[ The nervous hushed sounds come from her as she continues her tiptoeing search through the workshop. She's nervous to call out to the man she's looking for in case it startles him.

Everyone is aware that things haven't been the same since they returned from New York City those months ago. Little Mermaid had been overjoyed to return to the Malibu mansion, but made sure to keep the emotions to herself. Especially at seeing how rattled Tony Stark had been. Of course, he had been his usual abrasive, sarcastic, funny self, but they could all tell something was different. Rhodey tried to help when he could, but was brushed off. Pepper does what she can when she stops by after being at Stark Industries all day, but generally the conversations always break down into work and what not to do or what to do with the direction of the company.

She's wanted to help too. She's always wanted to help.

But, does someone like Tony Stark need her help? Does a hero like Iron Man who can fight along side people from other realities, spies, massive shapeshifting men, and even the original super soldier need her help? She's was designed to be a support not an attacker to her squad. The squad that was deemed such a failure it caused the Goddess of Victory project to come to a close. The squad that had been forced apart in their mission that was supposed to redeem them and rewrite their ending. She couldn't even take the hand of her dearest friend when her friend needed it the most. How could someone like Tony ever really need her help in anything?

That was why the comments from the interviewer had rattled her so much. She doesn't want to be a failure or just another woman that Pepper takes out of the house one day. She wants to be helpful, to have a place she belongs, to be more the failure she had been labeled. She wants to be special like Pepper is to him. Not the exact same, as one can never truly replace another, but she wants to be apart of his life.

Maybe one day she can truly earn the title of "Goddess of Victory" to someone.

Tony doesn't need a Goddess of Victory. He's his own maker of victories.

Little Mermaid stops at one of the work tables.

Then, she leans over it slightly.

Tony is sitting on the floor, pressed against the work table, breathing heavily and shaking.

She bites her lip to keep from saying his name in relief that she found him. Instead, she carefully and quietly, tiptoes around the side of the work table. Then, she moves down to be on her knees. She hasn't moved to be exactly next to him. There is still plenty of space to give him room. Her eyes drop to his shaking hands before looking back up at his face in what she can make out in the darkness. The light from his arc reactor is dimmed through his shirts, but she can at least make the outline out in the darkness.

Slowly, one hand reaches out to rest beside him. She hesitates with her fingers curling slightly. He hasn't reached out to her--should she even reach out to him first? ]

... Tony? [ Little Mermaid speaks in a whisper as to try and not startle him.

The notion isn't hard. There had been a time when that was all she could speak in. ]

Comments

[doesntpaint]

[ He doesn’t answer at first, not because he doesn't want to, but because he can't. His breaths come in tight, shallow gasps, and his hands flex into fists, like he wants to punch something. But he can't do that either; the things he's seeing, the things he's remembering... they're bigger than him. They're even bigger than his suits; even if he made the most powerful suit yet, it wouldn't be enough. No one likes being confronted with their own mortality, their own shortfalls, but as far as Tony is concerned, he had that reality shoved in his face, and it woke him up like a person wakes up when a bucket of ice water is thrown on them.

He hears the whisper as she says his name quietly. Of course he knows that voice; of course he knows the sound of her walk, of her moving around. At some point, he memorized it, even though it hasn't been long since they met. Something about that quietness of her voice makes him want to recoil. Not push her away; he'd never do that. But he's never been good at being seen. Sure, he can be seen when he's performing, when he's acting like Tony Stark, genius billionaire playboy philanthropist, or whatever the hell he said once.

When he's not playing that part? Being seen is the last thing he wants. Well, actually, that's not true. He still likes being seen even when he's supposed to be "off".

This... this situation is not that.

You shouldn't see me like this. You shouldn't see me at all. No one should.

Tony doesn't speak out loud because his teeth are clenched too tightly right now to allow for speech. But he can still think, and God, he wishes he couldn't.

I know what this is. This isn't the part they put in the papers, on the headlines. Genius Tony Stark- that's easy. This... this is what makes people leave.

He leans his head back against the cold surface of the work table, eyes shifting to look up at the ceiling. That really doesn't help either, but he wasn't expecting it to.

It takes a second for him to find his voice, and a few more seconds to at least try to make it not sound so strained. ]

Hey, Ariel. Let me guess, I woke you up. Figures.

... Sorry.

[bubblesong]

No. [ A gentle correction, nothing of accusations or even annoyance. ] I couldn't sleep.

[ It's not a lie. She doesn't truly need sleep to begin with, but her mind has been far too busy to sleep. Not with the way things have changed since New York and the conversation with the woman who invited herself into their dinner. Pepper had told her the woman was from "Variety Fair", some fancy magazine that did interviews and other things. The interviewer and Tony had a history--which simply just made her feel even smaller. Pailing in comparison.

She had come down, expecting to find Tony adjusting a suit. Building a new one. Doing anything other than the festivities that surround the decorations adorning the Malibu mansion. Decorations Pepper had insisted that go up for the season. Decorations that made Little Mermaid realize she hadn't celebrated Christmas--let alone any other holiday--in a very very long time.

Now that he has addressed her? She crawls the few extra spaces to sit next to him. Feet tuck underneath her and for a moment she says nothing. She doesn't move. She can recall seeing similar expressions on soldier's faces. The ones that had tried to stop Anachiro only to see their friends and brothers-in-arms cut down beside them.

Little Mermaid frowns. Maybe it's best not to ask Tony what really happened in New York.

Instead, a different approach.

One hand raises slowly so he can watch it in the dim ambient lighting of the workshop. She slowly lowers it, fingers gently sliding over his. Palm rests atop his hand before pressing the smallest amount of weight to it. Then, fingers curl to wrap around his. A part of her feels selfish, as if she shouldn't be trying to have the contact when he is in such a state, but this isn't just for her. She is trying to help him. ]

We should go out for breakfast. [ Amber eyes glance up at him, speaking still in her hushed voice. ] Later. once you're feeling better. Somewhere close and small. O-or, I could make something here for you. If going out is too hard.

[doesntpaint]

[ Tony doesn’t answer right away.

The flickering workshop lights form patterns on the floor and walls and in a weird way, they highlight the things that Tony would just as soon hide: the dark circles under hsi eyes, the way his mouth tightens and goes slack again. He stares ahead, posture slouched in that way that says he didn’t so much as sit; he collapsed. Right now, he's not Tony Stark, genius. He's Tony Stark, a man held together by sheer momentum and a to-do list he keeps rewriting in his head at whatever ungodly hour this is. ]

You know, I used to build things down here because I wanted to. Now it feels more like I build things or I- I...

[ He can't finish that sentence. It's too vulnerable, too open, and while he's willing to open up to her, he just can't be that open right now. ]

You didn’t have to sit with me. Honestly, I wouldn’t blame you if you ran.

[ But then she suggests breakfast, and then he smiles. Sort of. It's too quick, too automatic, a little too mechanical. ]

Yeah... Yeah, we should do that. Breakfast. Later. Or now. Whatever. I'm good.

[ But it’s a lie, and he knows it. Still, he finds he can't tell her the truth, not yet. He can't put it into words that the idea of going out makes him feel like he's about to rattle out of his boots.

And there's the fact that the idea of sitting somewhere small and warm and safe, pretending he belongs in a world that still has things like pancakes and conversation? It feels like someone else's life. It doesn't feel like it belongs to him, at least not right now.

So he says yes, because it’s easier than explaining how wrong he actually feels right now. He figures she can see through it, though, which is why he intentionally keeps his gaze turned away, eyes looking anywhere but at her. Still, if she looks, if she insists on seeing him, she'll see the real truth in his eyes.

He doesn’t mean it. He’s not going. Not really. But he won’t fight her on it either. Instead, his fingers shift under hers, curling just a little. ]

[bubblesong]

[ Little Mermaid falls silent the moment he begins to speak. Her eyes light up, immediately drawn in regardless of what he will say. Tony, of course, has a natural gravitas that demands all the attention in the room. That fact alone is hardly why all her attention focus in on him in moments he shares those deeper things. The pieces that show who Tony Stark is underneath all the fame and fortune--the man that is Iron Man. It isn't even because he is her hero.

Why she focuses on him and only him is far more personal and is a deeper feeling.

Her chest tightens and her breath catches silently in her throat. Her "heart" pounds. Others would say she is smitten as many other women are when it comes to the billionaire playboy philanthropist. "Smitten" isn't the word she would use to desribe it. That word needs to stay locked up inside otherwise he may truly push her out and tell her to leave.

He trails off and begins another thought. It isn't uncommon for him, but Little Mermaid can tell it's not his usual ramblings and his mind moving in so many different directions. No, he is avoiding something and doesn't want her to know what that might be. Maybe she hasn't earned the right to learn that knowledge--maybe it's only for those that have known him for years and years.

Tony smiles. He has his "press and big shot" smile. A smile he wears when he is smarter than everyone else in the room. Then, a gentler smile he shows her and Pepper. This smile isn't any of those smiles. It's wrong. The smile e gives is one she knows so very well... because she has worn it so much. A smile that makes people think it's okay when the world is farthest from being right.

Her fingers curl around his more once they shift.

Then, she moves.

Her hand pulls from his only so she can raise her arm to wrap around him. It guides him to rest his head against her bosum. Then, it rests against the side of his head, fingers gently moving to brush the strands of his short hair. Her other arm circles around him. By holding him maybe he can grasp the sort of escape he is looking for. An escape away from prying eyes and from the world itself.

She gently rests her cheek on the top of his head.

If he listens closely? He can even hear the gentle sound of her core. A hum instead of a traditional heartbeat. A sure sign to show she isn't human and never will be again. ]

... we were supposed to be the secondary team to help the Goddesses. The ones they could call in to help if they were overwhelmed. We would have deployed with them and fought to keep people safe from the sort of things that came through at New York. [ Her arms around her tighten slightly to show a secure hold. No one is coming to find them. ] ... they called us the "Old Tales", because we were named after fairytales too.

[ He knows some pieces of her story. Names. Fragments. Now, maybe he needs to know more. That way he knows he isn't alone in what he's struggling with. ]

We never fought at their side. We never had the chance. They gave us our first mission... and... [ a sound of discontent leaves her but she quickly pushes it down. Words right now. Not sounds. ] Cinderella was corrupted. She saw us but didn't see us. She attacked us, the facility, and all the people with us.

We failed before we even got to fight. They shut down the Goddess of Victory program. They--they labeled all of us as failures. Even after they brought Cinderella back to us. Even after we found out it was our own teammate that corrupted Cinderella. We tried to complete our mission even when they turned on us... and... we were separated. I don't know if they ever found the way to complete it.

[ A reason why she feels the way she does about him. He sees the girl that rushed out to join an experimental program to become a heroine. Someone like Captain America or the Goddess Squad. Someone to help everyone she ever met. The girl she can't remember. He still sees her as human.

She loves him for that. ]

I was so scared when Cinderella came back. [ Her voice is laced with so many emotions then: pain, regret. Her voice wavers more than usual. ] I was so scared that it wasn't really her; that it wasn't the teammate that I saw as my dearest friend. That she could still be the heretic that hurt me and everyone else. I was... she reached her hand out to me... and I couldn't take her hand. I pulled away... and left her hand reaching out to me.

[ She turns her head to press her nose against the top of his head. The arm wrapped around Tony drops and so that once more her fingers curl around his. The hold is secure, understanding, loving.

A small debate internally happens before she presses her lips to the top of his head. Her voice still wavers, but, there is an undertone of conviction with a decision made. ]

Even if you don't ever reach out to me? I'll hold your hand. I'll be right here holding you up. I'll hide you away so no one sees when things are bad.

So, please, don't pretend things are okay if they aren't. If you need me to look away so you can not be okay? I understand and I'll look away. But... but, I'll still hold your hand. Even when things are okay? I'll reach out.

[doesntpaint]

[ Tony doesn't move or pull away, because he doesn't want to. Well, part of his instincts are yelling at him to run, to hide, to go somewhere no one can find him. He's never liked being exposed, despite what his public image might suggest. Or maybe he still likes being in the public eye, but when he's in control of himself. Right now, he is not in control of himself at all.

He's breathing too fast and he feels like his skin is crawling and it's taking everything he has to just stay there listening to Little Mermaid talk. It's not her fault that he reacts like this, and he won't have her blaming herself, not even a little. And, well, her voice is calming. She's talking, but in a way, it's like a song. Didn't she say some people call her Siren? It fits, and not because she's like the mythical siren luring men in and trapping them. No, her voice is like a song, and it's helping relax Tony even if he doesn't feel very relaxed right now.

He thinks he should say something, should offer some kind of response to what she's saying about her past and the fates of Cinderella and the others on her squad. But whenever he opens his mouth to make some kind of comment, the words just seem to run away from him before he can properly grab hold of them.

Maybe it doesn't matter that he can't form words right now. Listening to Little Mermaid talk, Tony feels everything she's talking about. He feels her desperation, her fear, her sense that they failed... Maybe there's even loss in there too.

He shifts slightly so that he's closer to her, can hear more of that humming from her core. ]

You'll- you'll hide me away? [ He hates how his voice sounds; he hates how breathy it is, how afraid it is. He hates that she's seeing him like this, but he can't run from this either. ] Damn it, I can't hide from the things in my own head. That sounds so stupid when I hear myself say it.

[ It sounds stupid, but it's really how it feels. ]

I hate not knowing what to do about something.

[ He can't tinker these problems away. The panic attacks won't go away if he ignores them or if he tries to fix them so they're not problems anymore, and that seems to be what he hates the most. ]

[bubblesong]

[ Tips of her fingers continue to brush through the short strands of hair. He had it cut and styled recently. Cleaner, streamlined. She wonders if it was a way to look more put together and show that concept of Tony Stark to the world. The billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, genius engineer. The one who threw away partying (to some degree) to make the world truly a better place. If everyone sees what they expect? Then, they don't look. They don't notice him.

She does.

He said once that he noticed her. Has he realized she notices him?

Her other hand curls around his hand more. Fingers trail along his. The small motions may not comfort him as much as she means them. He still breathes fast and the shake still exists in his hands. ]

I will. [ A firm nod. ] I may not be able to hide you from what thoughts torment you. I might not even be able to make those thoughts go away. I can make sure no one sees you.

That way you can deal with what is in your mind tormenting you with.

[ She once more gently presses her nose to the top of his head. She shifts so he can lean into her more as he wishes.

A long pause before she closes her eyes. ]

... Tony, [ her voice quivers slightly before she shifts to try and pull him closer, ] I know that something bad happened in New York. Something that the rest of us don't know. Something you lived that no one else must have. That's okay. I won't ask what happened... I won't make you live or see whatever it was again just to tell me. I don't want you to hurt because I asked.

[ Her head tilts to rest her cheek against his again. ]

I just wanted you to know that I noticed. Pepper and Rhodey see it. But, I noticed. [ Hopefully using the terminology he has used will make her point. ] I care about you. I care about your health so that you are able to be Iron Man. You can be not okay around me if things get to be too much.

[ Tony knowing she cares is enough. She doesn't expect anything in return. He has already made a place for her in his home and his life. Asking him to see how much she cares is far too much. Asking that she be special in a different way than Pepper is too much. As long as he doesn't tell her to leave one day because he's gotten bored with her, or because she is too kind and caring, or because he starts to notice someone else.

"I care" doesn't describe it entirely. If she uses the word she does feel? Then, he most likely will have her leave.

Little Mermaid falls quiet then. Her eyes close and she simply sits with him; holding him. Her core hums at a steady rhythmatic pace like a heartbeat but more mechanical. The pace of an energy source cycling almost like an arc reactor. ]

[doesntpaint]

[ He doesn’t move at first. Doesn’t even breathe, it feels like. Just sits there, taking it in. Not just her words, but her. The way she says them. The way she means them, because he can tell she does. ]

How did you get so damn good at reading the mess behind the curtain?

[ He still can't look at her, not yet. Soon, but not right this second. He keeps his eyes on the floor, and if she's looking, she might notice his hands are still trembling faintly, betraying everything he works so hard to keep locked down. He exhales through his nose, a sharp brittle sound. ]

Yeah. Something happened in New York. A lot of somethings. Big, loud, and very... space-shaped somethings. And ever since, it’s like... It's like there’s this reel running in the back of my brain and I can’t hit pause. Can’t sleep without seeing it. Can’t not hear it. But sure, I’ve got the haircut, the press releases, the shiny suits. If you wrap it all up in enough polish, maybe nobody sees the cracks underneath, right? That's what I keep telling myself.

Except you do. You see too much.

[ There’s no anger in the words. If anything, they’re almost reverent. His voice is quieter now, strained with a sincerity he’s not used to using. ]

How do you deal with all that? I'd crack up, if it was me.

[ He's not really expecting her to answer that question, so he continues: ]

You’re not asking me to fix it. You’re not waiting for me to snap out of it and go back to being the fun version of Tony Stark, the one who’s always on. You’re just... here.

[ He finally shifts, resting more against her like she offered. Not all the way, but enough that it counts. ]

I don’t know how to do this part. The being-seen part. I spent who knows how long trying to make sure no one ever looked too close, and if they did, they didn't see anything but what I wanted them to see. But you? You notice. You see. And you still want to stay.

[bubblesong]

[ Little Mermaid has answers to all his questions--so many answers. Words that wish to bubble to the surface and demand to be let loose. So many things she wishes to share with him and give life to things she has kept inside. Either she had no one to speak with, or she had been unable to speak at the time. Even then? She immediately quells the burst of almost excitement that comes to mind about sharing things. Now isn't the time to be animated or to let everything out like water a dam had been holding back.

This is a gentler and quieter time.

Something more like she is used to when it comes to expressing herself, her thoughts, her feelings.

He can probably feel how her head tilts away. Not so that she doesn't hear what he says, but to give him the privacy she can. He most likely isn't used to talking like this about these things to anyone... or at least not her. He deserves the respect needed to share some of what is holed up inside. Her fingernails keep brushing through what is still there of his hair after the haircut.

Then, he points out that she sees it--sees too much.

Little Mermaid tenses up immediately, eyes widening, preparing to be reprimanded or yelled at for saying that she had seen. Maybe she shouldn't have said it at all. She should have kept it to herself as she has done with so many other things. Except, he doesn't yell or give words tinted in anger. He simply moves onto the next question, then the next, hardly giving her the time to respond.

Her shoulders ease slightly and then even more as he shifts more into her hold. It takes another moment before she timidly squeezes his shaking hand again. Fingers gently stretch out to rest between his as a way to shelter his hand as well. ]

People can't turn off and on what hurts them the most. Wounds heals, but scars can still hurt. They can still bother you when you least expect them to... you're still Tony Stark even if you're hurting or scared or lonely. You're still Tony Stark even when you want to hole up and just work on projects endlessly. That's all apart of you. If someone doesn't like seeing the bad parts, how can they say they care?

[ She falls quiet for a moment before tilting her head once more, chin resting on top of his head. Amber eyes are still looking away from him to try and give him that privacy she feels he needs and wants. ]

I couldn't speak for a long time without activating my Kotodama... so I got used to watching everyone else around me. Seeing what they liked, what they didn't like. What made them smile and what made them mad. Trying to communicate in my own way that they were all precious to me and that I understood, even if they couldn't always understand me. I... got used to noticing little things. Hansel and Gretel were never apart. Abe adored Cinderella the most and always admired her. Cinderella worried she wasn't good enough like her heroes, but wanted to fight with them. Red Shoes--[ She abruptly stops at the name and falls immediately quiet.

Her hands curl around him suddenly, as if she is clutching onto a pillow or a stuffed animal after a bad dream. It isn't as scary as what aliens or monsters he saw in New York City, but it is the only thing she has that might explain she understands. ] NIKKEs don't need to sleep a lot in a technical sense... but sometimes I avoid it too. I know sometimes when I try to sleep that I'll see the Cinderella that isn't Cinderella looking at me. That I try to stop her with my Kotodama and she grabs me... a-and then she hits my jaw. Again, and again, and again, and again... a-and again... until it's not there and I can't...

[ Little Mermaid shuts her eyes and forces the tears away. Now isn't the time to share everything about her past. He doesn't need to see her own cracks right now. Once he's feeling more like himself. If he asks. She's certain he won't want to know more, as he's never pushed deep into her story. ]

... do you want me to look away more?

[bubblesong]

( cont from here )

[ She stays in his hold, even once they've retired to bed. She doesn't point out that his bed wouldn't "know" her at all, because sometimes Tony's humor isn't literal. She's learned this over the last few months, but sometimes she is still navigating what is serious and what is a joke. It reminds her of Hansel and Gretel in a way. They would always play jokes and pranks on the rest of them.

There are no dreams for her unlike the man she lays beside. The sleep isn't deep either as she tries to keep apart of her mind awake for him--incase he wakes from a nightmare. One "therapy session" and a bubble mattress isn't going to solve the problem. She just hopes if he does dream and realizes she is there at some level? It will ease whatever memories his mind decides to pull out from his subconscious.

Which is why she rolls over onto her side and wraps her arm around him. Her hand gently rests on top of the arc reactor. Her cheek presses into his arm, and one of her gentle sounds comes out: ] Aou...?

[ Little Mermaid squeezes him gently. She doesn't know if it's best to suddenly wake him, or if she should hold him and let his subconscious realize she's there beside him. If that happens, will he see her trying to help him in his dreams? The idea is a silly notion, almost too fairytale, but she hopes that might be the case.

Clank, clank, clank.

Then, she feels something cold and metallic grab her arm and pull her away.

Little Mermaid let's out a small scream of surprise before snapping her head to the side in order to look over her shoulder. The familiar mask of the Iron Man suit stares back at her. The metal glove clamps around her arm.

She maneuvers herself quickly. Her other arm reaches over Tony instinctually to shield him. The arm the suit has grabbed shoots up and a large bubble forms at her fingertips. It expands almost in the blink of an eye and enclosed around the suit. The bubble forces the suit backwards and away from the bed.

She turns her head to look over her shoulder at Tony, eyes wide with the surprise and fear obvious in them.

Thoughts quickly run through her head: Is this a new suit? She hasn't seen it before. Did he make it remote controlled? Does it only activate if there is a threat nearby? What was he dreaming of that triggered the suit? Is Tony okay? Do the systems really see her as a threat...? ]

Tony?

[doesntpaint]

[ In the dream, Tony is still falling. He's falling, and he keeps on falling until he feels something, or someone. It's not someone catching him, but he feels an arm reaching over him and that's when his eyes snap open. ]

What the-!

[ He tries to sit up too fast, a grunt escaping him as joints and muscles protest. He braces himself on one arm, the other instinctively reaching toward her, eyes darting wildly, trying to register what the hell just happened: the room, the bed, her, the suit. Wait, the suit? ]

...Ariel?

[ The suit stands across the room, trapped inside the bubble. Its eyes glow faint, unsettled. No movement. It's no threat now, but as far as Tony is concerned, the damage is done. Tony’s hand trembles slightly as he reaches for her, wanting to do something, wanting to pull her into a protective gesture. ]

I didn’t call it. I didn’t summon it, I swear. [ Except that he knows he must have. He must have called it in his sleep, and it responded, because of how he set it up to respond.

Then he looks at her arm where the gauntlet grabbed her, and he feels guilt settle on him as he thinks about how bad this could have really been. ]

Did it hurt you? [ He pauses, eyes traveling over what he can see of her as if looking for damage. ] I didn’t program it to react like that. That’s not... it wasn’t supposed to... Damn it.

[ Then there's a longer pause that seems to stretch on, until Tony finally adds: ]

You shouldn't have to shield me from my own damn suit.

[bubblesong]

[ The arm that is over him shifts. Her hand covers his instantly. It wasn't a metaphor when she said she would take his hand whenever he reached his own put to her. She meant it literally and figuratively. ]

I'm okay. Just a little startled is all. [ Little Mermaid nods. She really is okay. Maybe a little bruise will form later, but, it simply surprised her more than anything for now. ] I didn't know if it was going to try and go after you... that's the only reason I did... I'm sorry.

[ She can protect him. She can fight. She was designed to do just that: protect humanity. Her weapon and abilities may show more of a support function, but, she can do things to help him. He doesn't want her near anything like that, but, if something happens? She is going to protect him if she needs to rise to the occassion. He's already protected her and keeps doing just that.

Little Mermaid sits up. Her out stretched hand moves back to her lips with a newly formed bubble on her fingertips. The bubble is pressed to her lips where a familiar red glow appears. She mumbles the command into the bubble and releases it. It floats to the larger one containing the suit. The two join and then the bubble morphs into the suit.

A moment passes. Then, the suit begins to move. The movements are slow and rigid, but the suit makes it's way back down the stairs and to the workshop. Little Mermaid let's out a sound of relief before turning fully to Tony. ]

I told it to go back to the workshop. The bubbles will leave the suit! I promise. They'll just disintegrate and won't leave a mess inside it. [ An affirming nod to her own statement. Then, she sits up properly. ] Are you okay? Did it show up because of your dream?

[ If he thought she would be leaving then it must be a surprise she remains sitting next to him. Her hands give a gentle tug for him to sit up beside her. Then, both arms wrap around him in order to hug him.

Not that she let's go. ]

It... was a little scary seeing it move without you in it.

[doesntpaint]

[ He lets out a slow breath and lets her hug linger, one hand instinctively finding the middle of her back. Even though he's rattled from the nightmare and from the sudden, jarring wake up call neither of them asked for, Tony's basically forcing himself to talk through it. She can probably tell that he's breathless and that despite his best efforts, his hand shakes every so often. ]

Okay, first of all, you don’t owe me an apology. That’s not how this works. If something comes at me, you swat it. If something comes at you, I swat it. That’s the arrangement. We look out for each other, right?

[ He glances toward the direction the suit disappeared, brows knitting in mild fascination. ]

Second: the way you talk about your bubbles and how they self-disintegrate makes me want to study them, study the formula. Because everything's got a formula, and maybe the bubbles can be used for other applications. With your okay, of course, since they're yours. But, cards on the table: nicely done. Smooth execution. Ten out of ten for style points.

[ He's almost impressed at how calm he's managing to sound. Just because he looks and sounds relaxed doesn't mean the terror from the nightmare has gone away. Nothing's gone away; Tony's just pushing it all down and doing his best to appear fine. ]

Honestly, I'd like to say no, it didn't show up because of the dream. [ He rubs the back of his head with his free hand. ] Kind of embarrassing to admit that your suit of armor came stomping up the stairs because you had a bad dream. [ He rolls his eyes at himself as if he's judging himself negatively for his reaction. ]

But yeah, I get it. Seeing it move without me? Not my favorite visual either. But... [ He gives her arm a reassuring squeeze. ] You handled it. We’re fine. I’m fine. [ Mostly. ]

[ He lets the smirk soften into a more genuine smile. ]

Also, you hug like you mean it. Don’t ever stop that.

[bubblesong]

Aou... [ Little Mermaid gives an affirmative nod. She'll protect him the best she can. She may not be a hero or even a Goddess of Victory anymore (if at ever), but the very least she can do is protect him. ] Right. I'll protect you the best I can.

[ She can't help the small bashful smile that comes to her face. Tony's always talked about looking into her bubbles more, but, it just hasn't happened yet. That was why she offered downstairs in the workshop. She just feels he needs to feel better first. Rested. That way his mind can focus on it all it needs. She can feel the shake in his hand on her back and the slight tremors while holding him. ]

I don't really know the formula or anything like that... Abe did. Uhm, she said how it worked was I controlled them with my brainwaves. [ She knows it's far from helpful, but, Abe never shared the scientific mathematical details like that. ] But, yes! Whenever you want. I need to know more about them too.

[ A feeling of praise strikes her and the bashful smile spreads. It's been a long, long time since she was praised or even congratulated on a job well done. She kisses the top of his head in silent appreciation and thanks for the comments. For being a former playboy... he certainly seems to know how to make her feel truly appreciated and loved. Not just because she's a nice looking woman. ]

You made a remote control suit...? [ Little Mermaid makes a small ooh sound. Impressed, but also worried. Does that mean he'll never be inside a suit again? ] If it's supposed to respond to threats and you were having a nightmare then it means it works! It's protecting you like you programmed it to do. Now, it's just fine tuning it!

[ Then, she moves.

She moves to sit in front of him--just hovering over his lap--and wraps both her arms around his shoulders. He may not want her sitting on top of him at all. One hand guides his head to lay on her chest once again. Fingertips ease down the hair he usually has styled upwards. Another hug is given to him, but this time, she keeps the hug going and holds him. ]

I always mean every hug and kiss. Every time I hold your hand. I won't stop until you tell me you don't want it anymore. [ Another kiss to the top of his head. ] Tony, uhm... I...

[ Should she say it now? Would it help at all? ]

[doesntpaint]

Hey, easy with the whole ‘protect me’ thing. That’s my line. You’re supposed to be the one I’m keeping out of trouble, remember? I made the suit 'cause I needed a way to get out, but now? I have the suit because I can use it to protect people. I know, who would believe Tony Stark took his head out of his ass long enough to stop and think about protecting people? But I didn't spend all this time designing suits to just park them in a display case and have them strike a pose.

Brainwaves. Okay, so not exactly plug-and-play tech. We can work with that. I’ll figure out the formula, you just keep doing your bubbly magic thing. And yes, that’s a compliment. Between the two of us, we'll figure it out. [ They're a team. They're each other's magnet. It's just going to work, and Tony is 100% confident about that. ]

Remote control suit... Kind of. It's nanomachines coded to respond to my blood. Weird science, I get it, but people have been coming up with all kinds of practical applications for nanomachines, and while I'm not about to stop suiting up anytime soon, I figured that this was just the logical next step.

Only trouble is, it's not perfectly calibrated yet. I shouldn't be able to call it in my sleep, especially if there's no threat. And by the way, you're not a threat, in case that wasn't clear. Maybe the suit's a little hyperprotective and too damn good at its job. I’ll fix the sensitivity before it decides to take out the coffee machine.

You always mean it, huh? Every hug, every kiss. You know, when it's you saying it, I believe it one hundred percent. [ Then he smiles at her and it's a wide, beaming smile. ] You’re not making it easy to keep up the whole ‘cool billionaire’ image here, but everyone's gotta turn over the proverbial new leaf at some point.

So go ahead, whatever it is you’re trying to say. You’ve got me right where you want me, and I'm all ears.

[bubblesong]

We can't protect each other? [ Her question is innocent, more asking for information on how it should work. She's never had a relationship like this. He knows she's never had a "prince." She wants to make it work. ] What if your suit gets damaged in battle or someone goes after you before you can get to your suit? Those would be the times I can protect you. The times you'd need it!

All the other times you would protect me. You already are! I know you're trying to keep me safe from everything you can. You have since we met. You could have left me there...

[ Little Mermaid nods with a smile. They'll work together to figure out how the liquid metal alloy metal she makes works. She has wondered if Abe even knew how it worked, or if part of why the power was given to her was so that Abe could learn how it worked. So much technology was theoretical after the world war... ]

Nanomachines coded to respond to your blood? [ Her tone conveys she isn't entirely sure about the technology and if it's even safe. But, it seems like Tony is someone on the forefront of the technological front. That and being made into a NIKKE wasn't the most safest procedure. She survived but lost her memories of her human life. The nanomachines may be safer...

A giggle comes out at the comment about the coffee machine. ] It's a very expensive coffee machine too!

[ She nods feverently when he repeats her statement. Of course she means it! Words are powerful things. Being unable to speak for so long has led to her meaning everything she does say. Of course, her actions and her sounds are just as genuine. That just makes words even more meaningful for her. ]

I'll just have to make sure you look really cool when we're in public. Especially when you make the announcement to everyone!

[ His smile earns one from her as well. A feeling of shyness suddenly creeps over her and she glances away. Not quite like a teenager admitting her first crush, because this is far more than that, but it is obvious what she is trying to say is something she worries he may not like hearing.

She forces herself to look back at him and be brave. Just to say it and not dissolve into some odd combinations of sounds to try and communicate her point. She still hasn't sat properly in his lap, and the seafoam colored nightgown she wears certainly doesn't cover her legs. Maybe she should of worn something else... ]

Uhm... Tony. I just wanted to say that I love you.

[bubblesong]

Stay back! It's not safe!

[ Natasha and Clint come to a stop near the edge of the hole at the center of the workshop. An easy glance upwards shows that Little Mermaid had fallen straight through the few floors above. The hole--crater--she is in was made by her own impact. In between her hands and nestled on top of her is one of her trademark pink glitter bubbles. Except this one is massive, spanning her entire body and slowly shrinking. Her cheek is pressed against the surface of the bubble. Her fingers are pressed into the surface, holding it against her, and keen eyes show that she is creating more bubbles to add into the large one. ]

"Siren, what..." [ Natasha kneels next to the crater while Clint keeps an eye on her hands. ]

I caught the second missile... but I couldn't stop the third or fourth ones! [ A strained panic is in her voice. She squeezes her bubble. ] The missile is inside. You mustn't touch it! I'm dissolving it, but it's taking time! It's almost done. Wait a little longer, okay? Then, I'll send the bubbles out to the sea and detonate them there. No one will be hurt!

[ The two agents share a concerned look between one another.

Little Mermaid doesn't focus on that fact. She has to do this! She has to dissolve the missile to keep what's left of the mansion safe. Tony's suits. Then, she has to make sure Tony is okay... and the old flame of his that came to the mansion. Her fingers press into the large bubble. The old flame that could talk with Tony on a level that Little Mermaid could only dream of understanding. Not for the first time, she feels as if she truly doesn't compare to any of the other people in Tony's life--old flames or friends. They can do incredible things, or are gods from other realities, or know technology and science. She can make bubbles out of a liquid metal alloy, but, that doesn't truly compare to someone who can operate at the same level as Tony. ]

"Hey, Ariel. How long have you been at this? Dismantling a missile with bubbles?" [ Clint takes another look at her. ]

Uhm... [ She glances up at the floors she has fallen through. It's night now. She remembers it being evening when the attack happened... and then seeing the sunrise... ] A whole day? Maybe longer. I'm okay. I'll just need to rest after it.

[ The two agents share another look between one another.

Little Mermaid closes her eyes and focuses. One thing at a time.

Silence falls into the destroyed workshop as she works. She feels the last of the missile crack and break. What is left of the technology melts into the rest of the liquid metal. The energy shifts into all the smaller bubbles inside the large one. She slowly moves her hands on the bubble, holding it from underneath against her body. Then, one hand raises above her head. It breaks down into hundreds of little bubbles. She hears the two agents stand. With a flick of her wrist, the bubbles shoot out the holes in the floors and ceiling above. They move at almost break neck speed as they disappear from view.

Then, in the distance over the ocean, the sound of an explosion goes off.

Little Mermaid feels herself sink back into the crater. ]

There... [ Her eyes close.

Then, a shooting pain goes through her body.

Her eyes snap open as and a pained sound escapes her. Natasha and Clint move instantly, sliding into the crater with her. Clint moves to her right side and swears. ]

"Shit, Nat. That thing pinned her to the rebar in the foundation. Gonna need you to help me pull her off it. Put your arm around me, Ariel. On the counter of three."

[ Little Mermaid feels the two pull her up. A choked pain comes from her as she feels them peel her off the metal that pierced her side. For a moment everything feels numb. Then, it hurts. It hurts so much. A strained cry leaves her as she hangs her head, trying to focus on anything other than the hole inside her. They have to find Tony and make sure he's okay. She could have sworn she saw him fly off in one of his suits. Maybe she imagined it?

No, she couldn't have. Tony's a superhero. He's fine.

He'll be okay.

JARVIS can find him. ]

"Clint!"

[ She feels both the agents grab her, and she isn't sure what happened next. Things went dark. There was all sorts of noise going on from the two and then other voices she doesn't know. The only thing she knows is she put her hand against the hole in her side. A bubble was placed inside the hole, filling the area in the meantime. It's not sanitary and it's far from a fix, but, it will patch her up for now. It's not like the red liquid coming out of her is really blood anyways.

It's not blood.

Suddenly, she feels as if she's not longer standing. Like the entire world around her pre-configured and she was forced to go along with it all. Some sort of realization that had always been underneath the surface but she had always ignored. Turned her eyes away from. A truth that everything in her mind refused to admit to until that moment.

I don't bleed because I'm not human anymore.

She's said it in various different ways, but, now, it feels the whole meaning has changed. She's not human anymore. She hasn't been human for a long time. People need to sleep and eat to live. She went decades without food or water to sustain her in captivity underneath Stane's supervision. She doesn't have a real heart, she has a core. Not like what Tony has, where it keeps shrapnel from entering his heart. She doesn't even really breathe--does she? She won't age like the rest of the Avengers or S.H.I.E.L.D. One day she'll even stand at the grave for Captain Rogers. Humans don't have liquid metal in their bodies that they can make and control with their minds. People don't have the ability to override the free will of another with a simple word.

Is... is any part of me human anymore...? What if I was never human and everything I think I remember is just a lie...

Her eyes open--are they even real eyes--to stare at the ceiling above her.

She knows this ceiling. This is a medical room in Avenger's Tower. Natasha and Clint must have brought her back somewhere they think is safe. Somewhere the Mandarin can't attack without having a team of super powered people instantly striking back. Her "breathing" quickens. Why did they bring her to a medical room? She's not a person--she's not human. They can't just give her surgery and stitch her up. They can't even give her pain medicine to help. Everything hurts so much and she can't even take anything for it like a person can.

She's in Avenger's Tower. Natasha and Clint took her here. S.H.I.E.L.D is here.

Her eyes widen.

S.H.I.E.L.D. made all the NIKKEs with other people. They made them to be the next line of super soldiers. She doesn't really belong in the world with people. She's just a person they made into a weapon decades ago and then discarded. A weapon they were going to scrap along with the rest of her squadmate--her sisters. She's the only one left. The only NIKKE that got away. Now she's there and...

Amber eyes dart to the other side of the room to try and find the exit. She sees Clint and Natasha talking by the door in low voices to another agent. That agent shakes his head. ]

"No sign of Stark. We can't track the suit or even hack into the other ones. JARVIS is down. So, he's either off grid or dead."

[ Dead?

Tony's dead?

No, that can't be right. She saw a suit fly away. She had her bubbles in the suit and told them to follow any order JARVIS gave. That should have helped keep him alive when he hit the water! That's how he could fly off. He's fine. He's fighting the Mandarin and being the superhero she knows he is even if he doesn't think so himself. He's Iron Man.

Tony's dead... and I couldn't save him... or Cinderella...or Abe... why am I even...

There's a clatter. She sees the three agents look over at her, but she's putting all the distance she can between them. Her hands hit the wall behind her. Her weight collapses in on herself at the spike of pain from her side. Immediately she crumbles into the corner, balling up, even as her mind feels as if it's exploding from pain. Her hands raise and Spindrift activates the moment she hears footsteps towards her. The footsteps stop. Someone's voice is telling them to get out of the room. There is commotion and her fingers narrow. Spindrift breaks down into several bubbles ready to launch. The door to the medical room slams.

No one else is in the room.

It's silent.

Again...

Little Mermaid pulls her hands back to look at them. She almost hurt humans. Real people. She's supposed to protect them. That's what she was made to do. She should be helping them--saving them. But, she couldn't save Tony. She couldn't protect the mansion. She couldn't help Tony's ex-girlfriend. She's not human now she can't even do what a Goddess of Victory should be able to do.

Maybe we really were failures after all...

Her hands wrap over her head and her face buries itself in her knees. A painful, soul wrenching cry leaves her.

She's scared. Alone again. ]

[ Natasha sighs as she walks down to the room they were keeping Siren in, now the room she's holed herself up in. Clint is standing on guard outside, eyes keenly watching through the glass. The curtains are drawn, but leave it to Hawkeye to find the one sliver of eyesight to see. She imagines Siren is exactly as they left her. Curled up in a ball in the corner of a room. Shut down. ]

"Looks like they finally found Stark. I called him, told him that we brought Siren here to keep her safe. He sounded pretty pissed. Funny, given he had his own house blown up by a fake terrorist. " [ She stands next to Clint, arms folded, looking at the dark room. ] "Old files I could dig up found that most people who tried to become NIKKEs suffered a mental collapse. They termed it 'mind switch.' The mind can't adjust to the new reality of no longer truly being human and... just shuts down. Or, the personality and memories seem to change entirely."

[ She glances up at Clint as if to say 'What do you think?' ] "Stark is going to be here any minute."

[doesntpaint]

[ Tony Stark was not made for Greyhounds or hitchhiking, but what else was he supposed to do? When he got the call from Natasha and heard what she had to say, he was livid. Actually, he was livid and scared, and that's not really a great combination. But he didn't have time to dwell on that; he had to figure out a way to pack up his suit and lug it (and himself) all the way back home. And it really didn't take too long for him to become half-convinced some of his genius brain cells had died from secondhand truck-stop hot dog fumes.

He could have called in favors, pulled strings, bought a jet under the table, but no, he'd decided to do this like a civilian, which technically he was. Call it penance, call it staying under the radar or call it what it really was: the universe reminding him that without the suit, he was just a guy with a wallet and a really bad sense of direction.

The lobby of Avengers Tower had never looked so good. He ignored the security desk, ignored the stares, ignored the faint odor of bus still clinging to his hoodie. All he cared about was the fact that Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton were waiting for him, both of them wearing that blend of exhaustion and irritation that meant "everything went to hell while you were gone." ]

Barton, Romanoff. Looking radiant as ever. Romanoff, that is. [ Even with the situation being as serious as it is, he still can't stop himself from making a couple of quips. ] You two holding down the fort, or just loitering for dramatic effect?

[ The look he gets from Clint tells him everything he needs to know. The other man quips back: ] You smell like diesel fuel and stale nachos.

[ Tony, hamming it up a little, jabs a finger in Clint's direction. ] Yeah, well, that's what heroism smells like when your trusty AI pal gets knocked offline and you're out of frequent flyer miles. Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it, Hawkeye. Spoiler alert: you’ll hate it.

[ Ignoring Clint's and Tony's banter, Natasha folds her arms in front of her and glares at both of them. ] You've been off-grid for days. No suit, no JARVIS, no communication. You hitchhiked your way across the country when the Mandarin could have taken a shot at you at any time. You know you're probably looking at a lengthy debrief session with Fury.

[ Tony's response is to just scrub a hand across his face. ] How's this for communication? The suits are just tin cans without me, and I needed to figure out if the man inside the can still works when the toys don't. Maybe this isn't exactly how I planned to test that, but... Turns out he does. Barely. But more importantly... [ Yeah, they heard that right. Tony isn't considering himself of the utmost importance right now. ] You said Little Mermaid's here.

[ Clint and Natasha share a glance, and Clint shifts his weight as his gaze flicks towards the closed door near the end of the hall. ] She's not talking to anyone, and she hardly even looks at us. Dunno how many hours she spent curled up in the corner; she's probably still there, not that we haven't tried to get her to at least sit up. She kinda shuts down if we get too close, almost like she's putting herself in lockdown.

[ Tony's jaw visibly clenches as he listens to Clint explain. As much as he might poke fun at the other guy, he actually values Clint's opinion. At least he'll give it to him straight. ]

Alright, you two did your part. Now it's my turn.

[bubblesong]

[ Over the next few days--she's presuming days--Little Mermaid insists on no one coming near her. Spindrift never activates again to make her point, because she can't hurt people. It feels like every fiber of her being lights on fire at the idea of turning Spindrift on a person again. At least, people who don't deserve it. She never had the issue when she tried to break away from Stane, or when she thought he was finally coming for her core. Stane wasn't a person--he was a monster.

This is different.

Clint and Natasha have only ever been friendly to her. Clint more so, but, now why would they ever look at her the same again? They risked their lives to help her and she tried to hurt them. She's supposed to be a good person. Someone Abe entrusted the kotodama to use it for the right reasons. While she may not have used the words? The intent with Spindrift effectively equals to the same in her mind.

Why would it matter if she's no longer human? She hasn't been for a long, long time. That reality is no different than the one when she woke up to after becoming Little Mermaid. Nothing has changed about that. She knows she doesn't bleed anymore, and that her heart is all mechanics. That she can create bubbles out of a substance that no one understands. All of these things are something she understands and knows, so why now does it suddenly feel like the world she knows is wrong?

It hurts...

Little Mermaid shuts her eyes tightly. She should shut off her pain censors. She has before! When Anachiro broke her jaw, and then kept punching... and punching...

No, I didn't turn them off. I...

She went unconscious from the pain and sheer shock of what had happened. Abe woke her up after repairing her jaw, but that means she had been unconscious for days. Forced into a sleep mode by her own mind and her creator. She never dealt with the physical, mental or emotional pain of it all. But, even then, this is different! She took it on herself. So, she should just...

But, if I don't feel it, then what part of me is still human? I... I want to still be human...

She wants to feel like she belongs in Tony's world. That she is a human woman. One he can introduce to the world as his. Someone who can stand in the room with the rest of the Avengers and feel she is just like them. Not that she's just ... something that they all look at like ... a machine.

Little Mermaid claws her fingers into the floor underneath her. It hurts to make bubbles. There is so much liquid metal pooled in her fingers from dismantling the missile. That can't stop her, she had to get up! She has to keep going. She has to find Tony...

Tony's dead.

No, no. He's not. She saved him with JARVIS. She knows she did.

What if I didn't? What if it wasn't enough? What if the suit crashed and he...

Little Mermaid pushes herself up off the floor once more. Her hands press into the wall and she claws herself up to stand. Pain screams through her whole body and mind at the motion, sending her back against the wall. She shuts her eyes tightly and forces herself forward off the wall. The bubble in her side protects her from damage, but, she can still feel whatever is supposed to be blood still weeping from the injury. It's coated the entire side of the nice winter sweater Pepper helped her pick out...

The door opens to the room.

Little Mermaid freezes, one hand pressed to the wall to keep her upright and straight. An almost irrational fear grabs her, suppressing the pain that makes her entire frame shake. It's S.H.I.E.L.D., come to finally take her away and scrap her. Kill her. She can't let that happen. She has to help Tony.

Her other hand flexes out at her side to summon Spindrift once more. Except, the bubble doesn't form. She feels the liquid metal fall apart and pain shoots up from her fingertips right into her side. Or maybe the two combine. It's hard to tell.

She feels the floor of the medical room again pressed to her undamaged side and a pained and panicked aoou escape her. Still, she tries to pull herself back up. ]

[doesntpaint]

[ The door bursts open around the same time that she's trying to pull herself up. Tony steps in, knowing he looks terrible, clothes dirty, hair a mess, one hand rubbing at his jaw like he's trying to scrape the exhaustion off his face. His other hand is extended, not to touch, not yet, but clearly reaching for her cautiously.

For once, he's not even really sure what he's dealing with here, only that something has visibly rattled her, and that doesn't even begin to describe it. For a second, he just stands there in the doorway, staring at the one person (yes, person, because as far as Tony's concerned, that's what she is) he'd move mountains to find and protect. Except did he really protect her? She protected him, as far as he can tell. And looking at her now, she definitely doesn't look like she's been protected, and despite his best efforts to convince people that he really doesn't have a conscience (okay, he knows he hasn't actually done that; people just assume that's the case), looking at her right now is bothering him a lot. ]

Hey, you're really committed to the whole "don’t touch me" thing. I get it. Fine. Respecting boundaries, big fan, really.

[ He takes another cautious step forward, eyes scanning the room, taking in the curled up shape in the corner, the faint shimmer of bubbles clinging to her sides, the way she's bracing herself against the wall like the world might crush her at any moment. Maybe it already has. Maybe it feels like it has. That's his fault.

At first, he's not entirely sure what to do, but then he lowers himself to the floor in front of her and just sits there, waiting, watching, hoping... Hoping she'll let herself just exist in the same room with him without exploding (he's had enough of exploding people, thanks) or shutting down even more than she already has.

And then he starts, attempting to apologize for what feels like a laundry list of questionable decisions and the consequences that happened because of those decisions. ] Sorry. Sorry the mansion blew up. Sorry I left you there, even though Rose Hill, Tennessee wasn't exactly on my itinerary, and yeah... Sorry it took me so long to come home. I know, it's not like I planned to end up in another state and inadvertently make things worse. I just got caught up in things... Things and stuff and insanity, and I get it, that's not an explanation, but I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere. I mean it.

[ He figures it's obvious that she isn't going to be in any sort of mood for jokes or humor, and maybe he should shut up for once, but he slowly, tentatively adds: ] If it helps, I promise: next time I'll try to coordinate the explosions better. Less collateral. More style.

[ And then, with a slight pause, he says: ] Speaking of style, you... you kind of look like you could use a hand. If you wanted one, anyway. I wouldn't blame you if you said no.

[bubblesong]

[ Little Mermaid freezes the moment she hears a voice. She's trying to cut out all the noise in her mind. The memories from decades ago with Anachiro, the battle in her thoughts of trying to reconcile with something she thought she already had come to terms with. How her fingertips and fingers hurt almost as much as the hole in her side. There's so much noise and she feels overwhelmed in even beginning know where to swim to find the surface of it all.

The person who enters the room sits down in front of her. Her eyes widen--are they even her real human eyes--and her breathing quickens. Except, this person sat down in front of her. They didn't try to grab her. They didn't shout and they didn't try to pull her away. That alone is what makes her widened eyes raise to look at the person sitting in front of her.

She stills as a mixture of shock and relief crosses her face.

It doesn't really matter what he's said in her mind, because the most important thing is that he's sitting in front of her. He has scrapes and some healing cuts on his face, but it's still Tony Stark. He's alive--sitting in front of her. He did fly away. They were wrong. He didn't die. He's okay. He's safe.

With a sudden burst of determination that is almost reminiscent of when she tried to move out of the containment he found her in? Little Mermaid pushes herself up. She all but throws herself at him, arms latching around his neck. A strangled sob forces itself out of her from sheer relief. Hands curl into the flannel on his back. The smell of the truck stops or bad food hardly even phase her. ]

Tony!

[ His name is forced out in a bursting force of pure emotions. Relief, love, pain. A tone that might seem uncharacteristic to her, but instead comes from something deeper and more exposed. Raw. The woman he's so fondly called 'Ariel' crying out to the only human that's ever noticed her. The woman who has had all her conditioning of being a super soldier stripped away. No bubbles, no super strength. Just the person he always seems to call her when the evidence that she isn't human stares her in the face.

You're okay. You're alive. You came back. You came home.

Her hands curl into the unfamiliar clothes he's dressed in. Pain spikes through her finger tips and into her hands. She can't control how much they tremble or the gasps of pain between her sobs. The liquid metal pooled in her fingertips shifts and causes another wave of pain, reminding her that she pushed herself perhaps almost too far. That she was in danger of her fingers becoming liquid metal. She had to, because she had to protect Tony. His suits. Their home. The place he's safe away from all the things of being a superhero and being an Avenger...

She flinches harshly as her side complains loudly at how she has stretched herself out to hold onto him. It's an iron grip, because she isn't letting go. If she lets go he might disappear. She tries to curl up against him in his hold. ]

You're okay...

[doesntpaint]

[ For half a second, Tony freezes when she suddenly launches at him, like he hasn't yet realized what's happening. One moment she's acting like a cornered animal, shaking and bracing against the wall, and the next she's wrapped around his neck, sobbing his name like it's the only word she remembers how to say. He lets out a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding, arms coming up around her without a second's hesitation.

He shuts his eyes, presses his jaw to her hair, and lets her clutch and tremble and sob into him. For once, he doesn't even try to make a joke; he doesn't even really talk, at least not right this second. He just holds on, and lets her hold onto him, and he can't help but think that maybe if he squeezes tight enough, it'll make up for every second he wasn't here. ]

Hey, I'm okay. I'm right here: not a ghost, not a hologram, definitely not dead. You can pinch me later to be sure. I came back, Ariel. I always come back.

[ She flinches against him, the sound of her pain cutting through his chest like shrapnel. And he knows how shrapnel feels, so this is basically just that feeling, except it's a sound, and more importantly, it's a sound he doesn't like. He feels the tremor in her fingers, the iron grip she's got on his flannel, the way she curls against him like she's terrified he'll vanish if she loosens her hold even a fraction. He rubs a hand up her back, trying to be slow, steady, grounding. ]

I'm sorry. I'm so damn sorry. [ He doesn't often apologize and sound absolutely, entirely genuine about it, but he does now. There's no mistaking it. ] The house blowing up, me disappearing to Tennessee like a complete idiot, taking way too long to get back; you didn't deserve any of that. You deserved to have me here with you, and I wasn't. That's on me. 100%.

[ His voice softens, quieter, as if the words are just for her ears. ]

But I'm here now, and I'm not going anywhere, not if I have to weld myself to this floor to prove it.

[bubblesong]

[ She leans her head gently into his jaw, trying to close any distance between them. He flew off somewhere safe. That's okay. The mansion wasn't a safe place anymore. It also means JARVIS was able to command her bubbles as she had hoped, and that is a larger relief than one would suspect. Hopefully he won't be angry that she put her bubbles in his suit without permission.

I always come back.

Maybe it's not a promise, but, she takes it that way. She will hold him to those words. She'll still do whatever she needs to in order to make sure he does come home. After all they're supposed to swat at what endangers the other. That was the agreement. ]

... they said you died. [ She knows he's proven the opposite, but it's offered as an explanation for her current state.

Her head tilts and forehead presses into her shoulder as a way to accept his apologies. Not that he needs to apologize. She understands. It was a horrible idea to give out the address--stupid even. But, she understands. Happy is in coma in the hospital. Everything feels spun out of control. Facing the person who hurt Tony's family face-to-face isn't just bravado, is it? It's trying to grab control back from a world that took it away.

Tennessee? Why did he go there?

She presses into him more at his next statement. The words to describe that she took care of the missile, protected his suits, saved what she could of their home won't come. Instead, all that comes out is a multilayered sound of pain. She should just turn it off. But, if she does, then she's not human. She isn't a person. Tony deserves a person, but instead, he's picked her.

Though some part of her wishes there was a romantic notion that it wasn't picking and it was meant to be this way. Fairytales aren't real. Those sort of things don't happen in the real world. ]

It hurts.

[ All of it. Every bit of it. Even he's hurting. ]

[bubblesong]

[ Little Mermaid sits nervously on the couch in the private sitting area of the Avengers Tower.

There is the large room with the large bar that can hold all the Avengers and their families. The one made for social gatherings and meetings. The one that looks as expensive as everyone imagines Tony Stark is all the time.

Then, the one she's sitting in.

A smaller and quieter space. A bar is still present, but, it is fit with just one or two couches. The sprawling view of New York City down below. It has a landing pad for when Tony flies in with his suit. It's the one that Dr. Banner (or Hulk) destroyed the floor of with Thor's brother! Except, now everything is cleaned up and looks perfect. Just like the imagine Tony always projects to the world and even to the Avengers. The image cracked after what happened in New York, but no one else seemed to notice but her, Rhodey and Pepper. Maybe she was the only one who really noticed.

A nervous breath escapes her as she holds the bubble in her hands. She never doubted that the engagement was serious when Tony asked in his unique way. Especially after he asked her to share a bedroom with him. Even more when he admitted she was the only thing he couldn't and wouldn't lose. Anyone else would chop the engagement question from Tony as him just being quirky and flippant Tony Stark.

She knows better!

So... then, why is she so nervous about her Christmas gift to him? The one sitting in the bubble in her hands.

Cinderella might have been able to figure out why. She was always good at these kind of things! After all, she was the one closest to being like a real princess out of the Old Tales. The one that embodied being beautiful the most. The NIKKE she honestly thinks Tony would have been with if he had met both her and Cinderella at the same time. The kind of woman that if she walked into the room? Tony would turn his head and notice over herself.

She gently rolls her fingers along the bubble.

I want to be enough for Tony. I want to be the person that he really feels is his magnet. The person that he wants to show off to the world and make sure they know he picked someone to be with for the rest of his life. I want to be...

The classical meaning of "princess." His happily ever after.

She knows it's silly and that he'd scoff at the fairytale idea of it all. Even though he was the one that asked if she had a prince? Those are things Tony would never describe for himself. Not after Afghanistan and New York. Especially not now after their home in Malibu was destroyed...

Suddenly, the lights dim ever so slightly. A click reaches her ears and an unfamiliar Christmas song starts to play. The Christmas Tree she put up while Tony and Rhodey were fighting the Mandarin sparkles just a bit. Enough to make the time of year known but not bombard Tony with nostalgia.

Little Mermaid stands up with the bubble in her hands. Her light gray sweater dress covers everything, with ribbon and bows attached to the sides. Still, her legs are bare and probably leaves just enough to the imagination. Her hair is changed slightly from its usual style, held together with bows instead of its complicated weaving. She wanted to look homely for him--since now they have to make a new home.

She gives him a bright smile when he finally comes in. Her retrospective and pensive mood tucked away to mull over another day. It's Christmas--their first Christmas together!

Which reminds her that they'll have known each other for a year soon. ]

Merry Christmas, Tony!

[doesntpaint]

[ Tony stops just inside the room when the lights dim and the music hits him; he actually stops, and his eyes sweep the space, taking in the the tree, the smaller room she chose on purpose, and then land on her.

For once, there’s no immediate joke. ]

Wow. Okay. So this explains the dramatic lighting. I should’ve guessed.

[ He steps closer, slow, deliberate, like he doesn’t want to break the moment by moving too fast. Now isn't the time for his best impression of a bull in a china shop. His gaze flicks to the bubble in her hands, then back to her face, taking in the dress, the bows, the way she’s clearly wound tight with nerves. ]

Merry Christmas. Our first one at home, in the not-destroyed-by-aliens version. And hey, whatever’s in the bubble? You already did the hard part. You’re here. You made this feel like a home again.

[ He reaches out, not taking the gift yet, just brushing his thumb against her hand. ]

I’m really glad it’s you.

[bubblesong]

[ The nervous smile spreads, attempting to be her normal bubbly self. She knows Tony doesn't like being handed things. He isn't nostalgic or really caring for gifts. Nothing about those normal things strikes him. Which she hopes then that this present is going to be okay. The seashell necklace was something silly and probably immature. The idea of making him something has never left her. This time? She wanted to make him something that was more him.

Her fingers press slightly into the bubble.

What if he doesn't really like it?

She glances to the side again with her lips pressed together. Of course she looks back up once Tony comes to stand in front of her. He seems lighter than he has in awhile. Not cured, but, it seems like what happened to Happy, their Malibu home, and New York are far from his mind at the moment. She glances down at her sweater dress with the laces and bows... and hopes that it's okay too. ]

Hehe, well, you like dramatic entrances! [ A firm but playful nod. ] I just wanted to make sure it felt like Christmas... after everything... uhmmm... but maybe my idea of Christmas is too old?

[ She hasn't celebrated one since she was with her squadmates. That was sixty years ago! So, it's her first Christmas in a long time. Their first one together period. That means it needs to be really special. Even if, to her, the Avengers Tower doesn't feel like home. If it does to Tony? Then, that's enough.

Her cheeks turn a little pink at his touch. A usual aoouu slips softly from her as she tries to compose herself. ]

Uhm, I didn't know if you made plans for the Avengers to come by... so I dressed just for us. If you're having a big party? I can change! I know originally we were thinking of going to a big party and announcing our engagement... before everything happened...

[ She holds the bubble up in the space between them. Not handing it to him but giving him the space and chance to take it from her on his own will. Everyone else may not care that he hates being handed things. She tries to keep all the little things in mind! ]

You'll need to see what's inside for yourself! You can't be told your Christmas presents!